Effortless
by Oh.Edward
Summary: “If the world was the way it was supposed to be, if there were no monsters and no magic . . .” Eclipse. AU. Bella and Jacob in the future.


Hey guys! I haven't died!

Firstly, I must state the I am firmly a B/E shipper, but this is entirely AU and I just had to write it to get it out of my system. So no flamers, please!

And yeah, yeah, I know. Bella and Jacob sadly do not belong to me...only to the wonderful Stephenie Meyer. But Julia and Josh do. :D

Enjoy!

"…_I'm exactly right for you, Bella. It would have been effortless for us — comfortable, easy as breathing. I was the natural path your life would have taken. . . ." He stared into space for a moment, and I waited. "If the world was the way it was supposed to be, if there were no monsters and no magic . . ." _-Eclipse

"Daddy, where do babies come from?" Josh's curious brown eyes stared up at mine, waiting eagerly for a response.

"Uh, er…well…when a mommy and daddy love each other very much…"

"Jacob Black?" I exhaled a sigh of relief when the nurse's voice interrupted the very awkward conversation I was not yet ready to have with my five year old son.

"Yeah, that's me." I responded anxiously. "Is everything alright? Are Bella and the baby okay?"

"Oh, yes. Everything's going without a hitch. The doctors are ready to deliver now. Would you like to watch?" I grimaced internally at the idea of watching another birth. Bella had made us both watch "The Miracle of Life" prior to Josh's delivery. And then of course, I was there for his. I was glad that I had the excuse of having to watch him in the waiting room so that I wouldn't have to witness the "miracle" again. It wasn't that pretty.

"No, I have to watch my son. But keep us updated." I smiled politely at the nurse as she agreed and walked back into the double doors of Bella's room.

Josh and I waited quietly for a while, before he broke the silence. "Daddy, can I have a lollipop?" Oh, thank God. He had forgotten all about his previous question.

"Yeah, sure, Josh. Uh, here's a quarter." I handed him over the shiny coin and watched him stumble over to the vending machine. He was just like his mother. But other than that particular trait, he was all me. He had a thick head of black hair, a little over grown and stuck out awkwardly in some places because he didn't want to brush it. He had my same dark russet-colored skin, and my same wide smile. Sometimes I thought I was staring at a version of myself from twenty-five years ago. I wondered if he'd follow in my footsteps, and if he would still be like me when he was fifteen.

Fifteen. The best year of my life. The year I met Bella Swan. She had come up to the reservation with her father, and we connected instantly. I knew from the first time I'd met her that we were meant to be together, like soul mates. She had obviously felt something, too, because she continued to visit me. We officially started "dating" after a few months, and we married six years later.

I thought back to our wedding, how breathtakingly beautiful she looked in her wedding dress, the way her hair blew around her face in the October wind. I thought about our honeymoon, our first anniversary, buying our first house, the birth of our first child. And here I was now, sitting in the waiting room at Forks General Hospital awaiting the birth of our second.

An excited voice brought me back to reality. "Congratulations, Jacob! You have a healthy new daughter!"

Words could not describe how I felt at this moment. I was floating; full of pride, love, and wonder. I grabbed Josh's hand and led him into the room. Bella was sitting up in bed, gazing intently on the soft pink little bundle of blankets in her arms.

"Jake," She said, acknowledging my presence. She met my gaze and we stared at each other, wordlessly communicating out pride and love for each other. "Meet Julia Sarah Black, our daughter." I couldn't help but smile at her last words.

"Our daughter." I said. I stood behind Bella on the bed, my arms around her shoulders.

"Josh, come here, honey. Come see your little sister." I lifted Josh up onto the edge of Bella's bed.

"She's so teeny," he said. I laughed.

"Seven pounds, three ounces," the doctor replied. "She's completely healthy. You'll both be ready to go home in a few days."

---

In the two days that Josh and I were home alone, we were able to successfully baby-proof everything. The house was ready for baby Julia, so when I brought her and Bella home from the hospital, there was absolutely nothing for anyone to worry about.

Except for, of course, being woken up every two hours by a crying baby, but it wasn't anything we weren't used to.

In the days passing Julia's homecoming, we did a lot of family bonding. Tonight was the first snow of the season, and we were all huddled on the couch across from the fire. Bella had made hot cocoa, Josh was telling scary stories, and I was holding Julia.

"…And then the bad vampires came, but the good vampires and the werewolves were waiting for them."

"Why were the werewolves and vampires fighting together? Aren't they sworn enemies or something?" I interjected.

"Well…usually. This time they're not."

"Oh, I see. Continue." I stifled a laugh.

"Yeah, so, the good vampires and the werewolves beat the bad ones. But a few of them smelled what they were looking for, and went into the woods to look for it."

"What were they looking for?" I asked.

"The good vampire that killed one of the bad ones. They were mad. They wanted to kill him and his girlfriend."

"Vampires have girlfriends? Josh, where are you learning these stories? They're ridiculous."

"School."

"Sure, sure. So, okay, finish the story." I smiled.

"The bad vampires found who they were looking for but they got their butts kicked."

"Josh! Don't speak like that!" Bella scolded.

"Sorry, Mom." He shrugged. "I wonder if vampires really exist…"

"Of course not. Don't be silly, Josh."

"Actually, Josh. I've never told you this before, but I'm a vampire." Josh's eyes grew wide. We all laughed.

…Until Julia started to cry. I peered down at the baby in my arms, so much like her mother. Her hair was dark brown, and her skin was pale, not quite as porcelain as Bella's, but definitely not the dark color of mine. She was beautiful. I gently rocked her in my arms, and she fell back to sleep.

We all sat there, quiet, until inevitably, Josh's eyelids started to droop, and he fell asleep in his mother's arms. Bella's head rested against my shoulder, and after a few more minutes, her exhaustion got the best of her, and she fell asleep, too.

I looked at my family, all of them resting soundlessly. I debated bringing everyone upstairs to their rooms, but I decided against it. Everyone looked so peaceful, and I was content. I reached over and grabbed the blanket that was behind the couch and draped it over all of us. I kissed Bella's head and let my own fall back against the pillows.

I was content, here with my family. I closed my eyes and remembered Josh's story…about the vampires and werewolves, and was relieved that I lived in a world where neither existed.


End file.
